


To Lose a Gamble

by CourtesyTrefflin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Anakin Skywalker Has Issues, Anakin Skywalker Needs a Hug, Angst, Canon Divergence - Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Family, Fix-It, Fluff, Gen, Human Disaster Anakin Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker are Siblings, Protective Obi-Wan Kenobi, Protective Padmé Amidala, Visions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-24 00:41:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30064056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CourtesyTrefflin/pseuds/CourtesyTrefflin
Summary: For a moment, Anakin lets his worries slip away and loses himself in the legend of Darth Plagueis. But the Sith’s death means the death of the knowledge he’d possessed. Maybe. There’s really only one way to find out, right?
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Ahsoka Tano, Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala & Obi-Wan Kenobi & Anakin Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker, Sheev Palpatine & Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 14
Kudos: 47





	To Lose a Gamble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fanfic was actually inspired by a short humor one-shot I read a while ago in which Anakin totally misunderstands what Palpatine is telling him about Plagueis. I thought it was hilarious, so I decided to write another, more serious version. There’s just a little bit of crack, but other than that, I think it’s a quite realistic version of how ROTS could have ended. Enjoy this short AU!!! :D

Anakin’s thought spin in a tumult, the chaos only growing as each second passes. He – he needs to stop. He needs to calm down. The conflict is tearing him apart, and _why did the Council ask him to do this when they already knew he wouldn’t want to?_

“Did you ever hear the tragedy of Darth Plagueis the wise?” Chancellor Palpatine asks, totally oblivious to Anakin’s turmoil.

“No,” Anakin replies. _Focus. Breathe._ He remembers that sometimes when he became overwhelmed, Obi-Wan would tell him to focus on something concrete and breathe slowly and rhythmically.

Palpatine settles back in his seat, a half-smile on his lips. “I thought not,” he comments, obviously planning to keep talking, so Anakin latches onto the sound to ground himself in the moment. He can’t allow himself to continue considering the betrayal he’s been asked to perpetrate. It’s wrong, and maybe he should talk to someone about it. Rex is with Ahsoka. Maybe he can call her. She won’t mind – or maybe she will. He’d wanted to talk to her, and she’d brushed him off. Fine. Not her. Obi-Wan? No. No. Not him. He asked Anakin to do it, and he can’t help. But Padme? She could help or advise him or _something_.

“It’s not a story the Jedi would tell you,” the Chancellor continues after a momentary pause, and Anakin nearly misses the words as he drowns under his thoughts and doubts. “It’s a Sith legend.” Those words catch Anakin’s interest, and with an effort, he forces everything else to the back of his mind. This is something he can focus on, something he can use to temporarily occupy himself. Everything else can wait for a few moments.

“Darth Plagueis was a Dark Lord of the Sith, so powerful and so wise he could use the Force to influence the midi-chlorians to create life,” Palpatine smirks slightly as if the thought is ridiculous, and it is. Life? Seriously? _Was he on drugs?_ Anakin forces himself not to blurt out that outrageous comment and struggles not to grin.

“He had such a knowledge of the Dark Side that he could even keep the ones he cared about from dying.” Anakin hardly registers the words, mind running over the previous sentence. Because life and death? That’s something beyond mortal abilities. The Force can be used to prolong life, but not _create_ it. Then, the last words register. Save people from death?

Anakin knows he’s waited too long before replying, and he very nearly flushes with embarrassment. “He could save people from death?” Anakin queries skeptically. Because no. He’d like to have such an ability, because it could be _useful_ , but life is Light. Death is Dark. And he nearly laughs at the ludicrousness of a Sith being a Light Side user.

“The Dark Side of the Force is a pathway to many abilities some consider to be unnatural,” Palpatine intones as though repeating something he heard. Unnatural like _creating life?_ Or being a Light Side Sith. No. Palpatine said _Dark Side_. Well, yes, everyone knows that. The Sith do all sorts of creepy things.

“What happened to him?” Anakin wonders curiously. Maybe this Plagueis character was a drug addict. Maybe that’s the funny part he’s missing.

“He became so powerful the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power, which eventually, of course, he did,” Palpatine replies. “Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew, then his apprentice killed him in his sleep.” He smiles slightly. “Plagueis never saw it coming. It’s ironic he could save others from death, but not himself.”

Personally, Anakin has to doubt that it’s possible, but still… The fear from earlier comes crashing back in full force, this time mingled with his confusion and uncertainty. He _saw Padme dying and she can’t die because she’s all he has left, and he can’t lose his child too_. It’s a risk, but he’s convinced that he could learn how to preserve life without losing himself in the process.

No. Wait. He killed Dooku. He shouldn’t have done that. Dooku could have helped him. He could have told Anakin how to find his master or the way to find the secret. Actually, why is he even worrying about it? He should be able to find something about it in the Archives, a brief mention or something. The Sith aren’t discussed much lest the Jedi stray, but he could find a way of accessing what he needs to know. Or maybe what Palpatine said is nothing more than that. A legend. A tale. And the moral of the story is… that one should never be fully confident in one’s own abilities. Oh.

Anakin feels his spirits plummet even further because he knows it’s the truth. He’s powerful, but he’s not a god. He can’t control life and death, at least not alone. First, he needs time to think. Then, he can talk to Padme and do research in the morning. Perfect.

And killed in his sleep…? This time, Anakin can’t hold back the snort, and Palpatine gives him a sideways, inquisitive look. “It’s nothing.” Anakin shakes his head. “I was just thinking that the apprentice was a coward. There’s no honor in killing a sleeping man.”

“Quite right,” the Chancellor agrees, though there’s something slightly _off_ in his tone. Anakin can’t figure out what, but the tragic comedy of the situation is captivating his attention. “He must have realized he could never succeed otherwise.”

“It’s seems rather pointless overall,” Anakin responds dismissively, and they lapse into silence. His mind is whirling over everything. If he could prevent death, he could be guaranteed of saving Padme, but the moral is so blatantly _obvious_ that wondering about the possibilities of forbidden power is useless. He’ll never obtain anything except pain because the Dark Side doesn’t bring life. He knows that as truly as he knows there’s a galactic war.

“That was an interesting legend, Chancellor,” he states finally, trying to reduce some of his tension. “It was very enlightening. I – I think I needed to hear that, so thank you.” 

Palpatine smiles warmly at him. “Of course, my boy,” he replies, and Anakin is certain that he has no idea just how much he helped.

He doesn’t stay much longer; the opera is over, and anyways, he has a lot to ponder. As he flies his speeder to Padme’s apartment, he finds himself thinking about what Palpatine told him. A Sith Lord with the power to stop death was unable to save himself. His own abilities were useless in the face of the Force’s will, or rather, his apprentice’s greed. Well, if anyone can succeed in impossible circumstances, it’s Anakin, but he so obviously can’t do it alone. The legend made him realize that. Talking to his wife is a good start. It’s what most people do, even if most people aren’t Jedi in a secret marriage to a Senator.

***

“Padme, can I talk to you?” he questions after they’ve had supper, feeling a little guilty because he shouldn’t be bothering her right now, especially not while she’s pregnant, but he doesn’t have anyone else to turn to.

“Of course,” she replies gently, curling up next to him on the couch. “Anytime, Ani. You know that. So, tell me, what’s bothering you?”

And he does. He tells her about being appointed to the Council, and how Obi-Wan had been instructed to tell him to spy on the Chancellor. “It’s treason,” he grumbles unhappily. “The Jedi shouldn’t be doing things like that, and getting involved in politics, and if they really think there’s something wrong with Palpatine – and there’s not! He’s a good person and he’s my friend – then they should find someone else to do their dirty work.”

“I can’t believe they would ask you to do something like that!” Padme seems completely incensed. “I’m going to be having _words_ with Obi-Wan tomorrow,” she declares, sniffing. “I don’t want you to do something that goes completely against your conscience.”

All Anakin can do is hold her tightly, resting his head on hers and whisper how much he loves her. It’s as though a great load has been taken off him, but there’s another one, one which is far heavier. She must sense it because she prompts him to continue unburdening himself. Eventually, he convinces himself to speak, reminding himself that he can’t do it all alone. Maybe Palpatine had realized that Anakin was trying to do everything alone, so he’d told him the legend in the hopes that Anakin understood the moral. Well, he does.

He tries expressing how worried he is that she’ll die, but he doesn’t get too far before he breaks down. Padme wraps her arms around him, comforting him silently. “Ani, I know you don’t believe me, but I’m not going to die. My medical droid checked me, and I’m perfectly heathy.”

“But I saw it,” he protests weakly, shaking his head. “I _saw_ it, and I don’t know how to stop it.”

Padme slowly inhales. “I know you’re scared,” she murmurs, “But nothing is inevitable, okay? And if it’s really bothering you so much, then I insist you take me to the Temple and have the Healers look at me.”

Anakin gapes at her. “You can’t be serious!” he exclaims, and he’ll deny for eternity that he _squeaked_ that, because he didn’t!

“I am,” his Angel declares firmly. “If you’re convinced that I’m in danger, then we can both agree that my life means more than you remaining a Jedi, or me a Senator.” Well, when she puts it like that…

“Fine,” Anakin concedes. “I’ll do a little digging in the Archives tomorrow, and I’ll talk to Obi-Wan. If I can’t figure anything out, then I’ll take you to the Temple.”

“And no more stressing,” Padme adds, running her fingers through his hair. “Let the worries remain for the morning.”

Anakin hums quietly before leaning down to kiss her. Ignoring his fears is so much harder than it sounds, but for Padme, he’ll do his best. _She’ll be fine. I need to stop freaking out over nothing. The Jedi have healers who can help her, because I’m terrible at healing, so I can’t do it, but they can, so I don’t need to worry._ He repeats those thoughts until the nagging worries begin fading. He’ll deal with them in the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you liked this maybe consider reviewing or leaving kudos...? :)
> 
> The next chapter will be out in two weeks! :P


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